sohil shrenik nanavati:
hi! im sorry but are you saying goenka could fire jing? this is of a lot of interest. Energy manipulation is popular topic on the mysterious side of the web and I wonder if attempting such a practice is worthwhile.
Hi,
Goenkaji is not Goku. He doesn't fire anything.
Metta is a field of subtle positive vibrations generated from wishing the highest good for all beings and sharing your spiritual gains with all beings. Vipassana meditation takes us deeper into our subconscious mind, and generating Metta from those depths is very powerful. Anyone can give Metta, even someone who has never meditated, but this Metta will not be as powerful because its from the surface level of the mind.
As for position, it does not really matter. It is simply an ancient tradition in India that whenever an elder/saint/teacher gives blessing, they hold out their palm towards the receiver. This does not mean energy is being channeled through the physical hand. The Metta is generated from the mind and it flows boundlessly in all directions regardless of physical posture. Birds and Plants are more sensitive towards it (personal experiences).
As for "Receiving Metta", I dont think Metta can be felt directly in the form of a physical soothing sensation. It simply helps us at a very deep level and gives us strength to become more established in Dharma. It is usually the person giving the Metta who directly feels the calm, peace and compassion.
Once when I was in Singapore, I fell around 8-10 times Ice Skating and couldn't straighten my hand. I couldn't afford 40$ for an X Ray and 100$ for treatment, so my Guide took me to a local Chinese "energy" therapist. He did his stuff, pressed some points, did some massage/limb manipulation/energy stuff and at the end he just pulled my hand straight which was painless and completely fixed me. Overall the energy stuff may be useful in some cases but aiming for Enlightenment is countless times more beneficial. I wont say its worthwhile but If you attempt to go in the energy direction let us know how it goes.